LOCAL NEWS, DELIVERED DAILY. Subscribe to our daily news wrap and get the top stories sent straight to your inbox every evening.

Nanaimo, Parksville and Area

time to spare
'I just knew I was getting to the other side:' local swimmer completes Strait of Georgia crossing
NANAIMO - A local woman's months of planning and training have paid off, swimming the Strait of Georgia in record time. Melanie Buggey arrived at Schooner Cove in Nanoose Bay at around 3:30 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 18, some eight hours and 42 minutes after stepping into the water at Reception Point, near Sechelt, on the S...
Aug 19, 2026
Read More
two vehicles involved
Driver hospitalized after crash along Nanaimo's Island Hwy.
NANAIMO - One person was taken to hospital after a multi-vehicle crash along the Island Hwy.Emergency crews were called to the highway's intersection with Highland Blvd., near the Nanaimo Golf Club, just before 1 p.m. on Wednesday, Aug. 19, involving an SUV which had rolled onto its side after colliding with at least o...
Aug 19, 2026
Read More
in the record books
With 500-plus structures damaged or lost, B.C.'s fire season is among the worst
More than 500 homes or other structures have been destroyed or damaged by wildfires in British Columbia this year, in a level of devastation comparable to some of the worst recent fire seasons. While the area of 4,300 square kilometres burned by the mo...
Aug 19, 2026
Read More
updated play space
'A complete overhaul:' fundraising underway for key Nanaimo CDC renovation
NANAIMO - Pending renovations to an extremely well-used community play space require some financial help. The Nanaimo Child Development Centre (CDC) is launching a new fundraising campaign to collect $25,000 in donations for a total revamp of their outdoor play space, used by over 150 families every week as part of the...
Aug 19, 2026
Read More
fire dangers
Wildfire season tracking to be 4th worst on record; fire risk remains elevated
OTTAWA - Canada is on track for its fourth worst wildfire season on record. At a regular fire briefing in Ottawa Tuesday, federal forecasters said September's fire risk stands to be well above seasonal averages across northern B.C., northern Quebec and...
Aug 18, 2026
Read More
drive sober
'Totally preventable:' drug-impaired drivers a recurring issue on Vancouver Island
NANAIMO - Fewer drivers were removed from B.C. roadways for impaired driving this summer compared to last, but the numbers are still too high. During the BC Highway Patrol's summer impaired driving campaign, 229 driving prohibitions were handed out province-wide from June 15 to July 31, with 32 occurring on Vancouver I...
Aug 18, 2026
Read More

British Columbia

Black bear attacks woman, dog on back deck of property in Anmore, B.C.
ANMORE - British Columbia's Conservation Officer Service says it responded to another bear attack in Metro Vancouver earlier this week that left a woman and her dog injured. It says in a social media post that the confrontation happened Monday on the ...
14h ago
Read More
One dead as plane makes emergency landing on B.C. road, crashing into cars
PRINCE GEORGE - Police say one person is dead after a twin-engine plane made an emergency landing on a road in Prince George, B.C., crashing into cars and scattering debris including a propeller. Social media photos show what appears to be wreckage spe...
16h ago
Read More
B.C. man gets 22 years in jail for historical sex crimes on Vancouver Island
PORT ALBERNI - Police on Vancouver Island say a man has been sentenced to 22 years behind bars after being convicted of multiple sex offences. Port Alberni RCMP say Shaun Pater was sentenced last week for sexual interference against a person under 14, ...
17h ago
Read More
B.C., federal governments announce $106.5 million investment for new fisheries fund
VICTORIA - The British Columbia and federal governments have announced a joint investment of $106.5 million over five years to help restore salmon habitat and to support the province's fish and seafood sectors. The governments say in a joint news relea...
18h ago
Read More
Domtar to indefinitely idle pulp mill in Howe Sound, B.C., putting 400 out of work
Another mill is shuttering in British Columbia, affecting about 400 workers in the industry that has taken repeated beatings from tariffs, global competition and a lack of fibre. Domtar announced Thursday the "indefinite idling" of its Howe Sound pulp...
19h ago
Read More
B.C. court ruling reveals drug suspects sought by U.S. could seek trial in Canada
VANCOUVER - Three men facing extradition to the United States over their alleged involvement in transnational drug trafficking may seek to be tried in Canada, but the British Columbia Supreme Court says the prospect is "speculative at this point." Gur...
19h ago
Read More

Canada

'Shameful': Canada, U.K., Australia rebuke Israel for decision on aid workers' deaths
OTTAWA - Canada, Australia and the U.K.'s foreign ministries are denouncing Israel's decision not to pursue criminal charges over a military strike that killed humanitarian aid workers in 2024. In a joint statement today, the three countries say the de...
43m ago
Read More
Montreal to provide police with body cameras and new powers
MONTREAL - Montreal Mayor Soraya Martinez Ferrada says police in the city will soon be equipped with body cameras as well as new powers to do their job. The mayor says the city plans to adopt a rule banning insults toward city employees, including poli...
2h ago
Read More
In the news today: Trump tariff looms, LGBTQ+ monument opens, Alberta cave rescue
Here is a roundup of stories from The Canadian Press designed to bring you up to speed... Deadline looms as Trump's 50 per cent tariffs set to kick in just after midnight U.S. President Donald Trump's latest tariff threat on $28 billion worth of Canadi...
8h ago
Read More
Rescuers use new tech to save caver trapped vertically in Alberta's 'Psych Squeeze'
A caver has been rescued after being trapped vertically underground at the Rat's Nest Cave in Canmore, Alta., in an operation that deployed volunteer-built underground radio technology for the first time. Search and Rescue Alberta says the man became p...
8h ago
Read More
LeBlanc, Charette to meet with U.S. trade rep with hours to go on tariff deadline
OTTAWA - Canada-U.S. Trade Minister Dominic LeBlanc and Canada's chief negotiator Janice Charette are set to meet with U.S. Trade Representative Jamieson Greer in Washington this morning as the clock ticks down on the latest tariff deadline. Initially ...
8h ago
Read More
Statistics and federal policy on crime have changed, but the politics remain the same
OTTAWA - New tough-on-crime laws and statistics showing falling crime rates aren't likely to change how Canadians currently feel about crime or whether it's used as a political wedge between parties, some national pollsters say. David Coletto, CEO of A...
8h ago
Read More